U.S. coordination with Israel on
Iran policy is intensifying as the Obama administration’s top
military adviser prepares for his first trip to Tel Aviv since
taking office in September.

President Barack Obama spoke to Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu by phone on Jan. 12 about Iran and reaffirmed
the “unshakable” U.S. commitment to Israel’s security,
according to a White House statement.

Tension over Iran’s nuclear program has the Obama
administration balancing how to dissuade Israel from military
action against Iran without fueling doubts about its support for
a politically important ally. Appearing Jan. 8 on the CBS
program “Face the Nation,” Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said
that continued pressure, not talk of air strikes, is the best
way to forestall Iran’s nuclear program.

This week, Army General Martin Dempsey, the top military
adviser to Obama and Panetta, will make his first visit to
Israel as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. “He is not
delivering any specific message to the Israelis,” said a
Pentagon spokesman, Marine Colonel David Lapan.

According to a Jan. 12 White House statement that offered
no details, the two leaders spoke about Mideast peace talks and
“discussed recent Iran-related developments,” including
Tehran’s nuclear program.

Military Exercises

A joint U.S.-Israel military exercise that is to be the
biggest ever between the two countries has been postponed,
Israel Radio reported today. Israeli Defense Ministry spokesman
Josh Hantman said in a phone interview that the exercise was
still under discussion and declined to give further details.

The exercise was moved to the second half of 2012 for “a
variety of factors” to promote “optimum participation by all
units,” said Captain John Kirby, a Pentagon spokesman. “We
remain dedicated to his exercise and naturally want it to be as
robust and as productive as it can be,” he said an e-mail.

The U.S., its European allies and the International Atomic
Energy Agency have said that while Iran halted its nuclear
weapons program in 2003, there are indications it may still be
trying to build a nuclear weapon. They have challenged the
government in Tehran to prove that its nuclear research is
intended only for energy and medical research, as Iranian
officials maintain.

Iran’s Banking System

U.S. sanctions imposed last year seek to cut off dealings
with Iran’s banking system, making it difficult for consumers to
buy the country’s oil. European Union officials meet Jan. 23 to
discuss an oil embargo that may be delayed by six months to give
some members time to find alternate supplies, two EU officials
said.

In response to the possibility of an embargo, Vice
President Mohammad Reza Rahimi said on Dec. 27 that Iran may
close the Strait of Hormuz, passageway for about a fifth of
globally traded oil, if sanctions are imposed.

Iran holds the U.S. and Israel accountable for the death
of a nuclear scientist killed in Tehran on Jan. 11 by a car bomb
and is planning to retaliate, Tehran-based Press TV said on its
website today.

Punitive Response

“Opponents of Iran and the nation’s progress should have
no doubt that the punitive response to the U.S., the Zionist
regime and their criminal accomplices will be delivered at an
opportune time,” Masoud Jazayeri, a spokesman for the joint
chief of staff of Iran’s armed forces, said in an interview with
Press TV.

Netanyahu’s government is disappointed that the Obama
administration isn’t moving more quickly to put in place the
sanctions against Iran’s oil industry and central bank, Israel’s
Channel 2 television news said yesterday, citing unidentified
officials.

Israeli Vice Prime Minister Moshe Yaalon told Israel Radio
today that while Congress had shown itself determined to place
tougher sanctions on Iran’s nuclear program, the Obama
administration “appears more hesitant out of fear that oil
prices might rise.”

While a military strike is a last option, Israel has the
right to defend itself, Yaalon said.

Action Against Iran

Panetta and other U.S. officials have repeatedly warned
Israel not to take action against Iran alone, including during
the defense secretary’s October visit to Tel Aviv. Should Israel
decide to undertake a unilateral military strike against Iran,
Panetta said on “Face the Nation,” the first U.S. priority
would be protecting American troops in the region.

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said in November that
Israel “has not yet decided to embark on any operation”
against Iran.

Even as the U.S. urges Israel not to attack Iran and
instead let sanctions work, the Obama administration has been
communicating with Iran’s top leaders, warning them against any
provocative action in the Strait of Hormuz.

White House spokesman Jay Carney declined at a Jan. 13
briefing to offer details of U.S. messages that are being
delivered to Iran or describe what kinds of actions the U.S. may
take in the event Iran imposes an oil blockade in response to
U.S. and European sanctions for its nuclear program.

Ways to Communicate

“We have a number of ways to communicate our views to the
Iranian government, and we have used those mechanisms regularly
on a range of issues over the years,” Carney said.

The U.S. has a “strong interest in the free flow of
commerce and freedom of navigation” for oil shipped through the
Strait of Hormuz, Carney said. “We have consistently
communicated our views on that subject and concerns on those
issues to the Iranians and to the international community
broadly.”

In the event of hostilities, “we take no options off the
table,” Carney said. “But we are engaged in the kinds of
diplomatic efforts that you would expect in a situation like
this.”

Tommy Vietor, a White House spokesman, said today that U.S.
messages delivered to Iran’s leaders privately “would be the
same as what we’ve said publicly.”